Apprentices

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made in (a) developing a clearing house for professional and business services higher apprenticeship applicants and (b) helping small and medium-sized enterprises access this talent pool;
	(2)  what progress his Department has made in establishing the effect of school reporting metrics on the prestige of higher apprenticeships as a destination;
	(3)  what progress his Department has made in increasing the diversity of entry to the professional and business services sector;
	(4)  what progress his Department has made in increasing the number of higher apprenticeships in the professional and business services sector;
	(5)  what web-based initiatives have been set up to link professional and business services businesses with the education sector;
	(6)  what progress his Department has made in piloting new approaches to improving business and skills system engagement and sharing of good practice;
	(7)  how many further education colleges have engaged with business as a condition of achieving chartered status;
	(8)  what progress his Department has made in encouraging bodies to find innovative ways of improving employability of young people within the national curriculum.

Matthew Hancock: These questions ask about a number of actions related to skills development from “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services”, published in July 2013 as part of Government’s industrial strategy. The strategy was developed in collaboration with the professional and business services sector, focusing on the industry’s agenda for long term growth. It is led by the Professional and Business Services Council.
	The strategy reflects two key business priorities in skills development. First, to expand recruitment routes into the sector, in particular higher apprenticeships, to access a wider, more diverse talent pool. Second, to help businesses engage with the education system to raise aspirations and promote work readiness. A business-led skills taskforce for professional and business services has been established. It is developing approaches to implement the strategy and will report progress at the end of this year.
	The skills taskforce is leading work to help towards the strategy’s ambitious target to treble the number of higher apprenticeship starts across professional and business services to 10,000 over five years; and to follow progress in the interim, so that the numbers of these apprenticeships can be monitored. As a first step, the taskforce is supporting the London Professional Apprenticeship scheme, which was launched in December 2013, and is now recruiting apprentices and employers to take part. The scheme will pilot the proposal for a “clearing house” to help small firms access higher apprenticeships in professional and business services. In addition, the taskforce is backing new ‘trailblazer’ initiatives, announced in March 2014, to develop employer-driven standards for apprenticeships in several professional and business services occupations.
	The skills taskforce is currently researching the metrics for schools’ reporting and their effect on the prestige of higher apprenticeships as initial career destinations. It will consider if more could be done to ensure higher apprenticeships have parity of esteem with higher education.
	The taskforce is also mapping current school engagement activity involving professional and business services firms with a view to identifying and sharing good practice.
	The new emphasis on wider use of higher apprenticeships across professional and business services should contribute towards a greater diversity of routes into these careers in the years to come; potentially offering opportunities to a wider pool of talent.
	The skills taskforce intends to consider how the employability of young people can be supported within the national curriculum, but believes that greater engagement between employers and young people is the best way of improving employability skills.
	My noble Friend Lord Lingfield has set up the independent Institution for Further Education to take forward work on a new chartered status quality scheme and is considering the application and assessment process for Further Education providers.
	The skills taskforce is exploring how web-based services can support engagement between firms and the education sector, including a planned digital “inspiration” tool being developed by this Department to encourage business-schools engagement.
	Further information on the implementation of “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services” is included in a progress report on industrial strategy, published on 23 April 2014:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-strategy-early-successes-and-future-priorities

Apprentices: Lancashire

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of higher apprenticeships in Lancashire.

Matthew Hancock: Higher apprenticeship starts in Lancashire local education authority have increased from 40 in the 2009/10 academic year to 370 in 2012/13.
	The Budget announced £20 million over 2014-15 and 2015-16 for new support for employer investment in apprenticeships in England up to postgraduate level, which will provide apprentices with the technical skills that employers need. This will complement the £80 million funding over 2014-15 and 2015-16 for 20,000 more higher apprenticeships announced in the autumn statement-more than doubling current volumes.

Consumers

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to improve levels of customer service in UK businesses.

Jennifer Willott: Well-functioning, competitive markets encourage growth by creating incentives for firms to become more efficient and innovative to compete for customers including through better service quality. Markets can only be fully competitive if consumers are active and confident, meaning that they are willing to challenge firms to provide a better deal, switch between suppliers and take up new products.
	That is why this Government has undertaken the most fundamental reform to the competition and consumer landscape in decades to make the UK’s already world class market framework fit for the future. That has included establishing a new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), streamlining the landscape of Government-funded consumer organisations to put Citizens Advice at its centre, and overhauling the UK framework of consumer rights through the Consumer Rights Bill.

Industrial Strategy Sector Councils

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many times the Industrial Strategy Sector Council for Aerospace has met since it was formed;
	(2)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for construction has met since it was formed;
	(3)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for the nuclear industry has met since it was formed;
	(4)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for the information economy has met since it was formed;
	(5)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for oil and gas has met since it was formed;
	(6)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for the automotive industry has met since it was formed;
	(7)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for life sciences has met since it was formed;
	(8)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for professional and business services has met since it was formed;
	(9)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for offshore wind has met since it was formed;
	(10)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for international education has met since it was formed;
	(11)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for agricultural technologies has met since it was formed;
	(12)  if he will publish the minutes of all meetings held by his Department’s industrial strategy sector councils since they were formed;
	(13)  how many times (a) he or (b) Ministers in his Department attended a meeting of one of the industrial strategy sector councils since they were formed;
	(14)  if he will publish the membership of each of his Department’s industrial strategy sector councils.

Michael Fallon: The Government has worked with industry to establish councils (where they did not already exist) for each of the 11 sectors. Each council is a partnership that brings together industry representatives, Ministers and Government officials, but they operate in a way that best suits the individual needs of the sector. It is for each council to determine whether the membership and the minutes of meetings are published.
	The International Education Council has met twice since it was formed. The Minister for Universities and Science, my right hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr Willetts), co-chaired the meeting in September 2013 with the Minister for Skills and Enterprise, my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock), also in attendance. The Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise co-chaired the meeting in February 2014. The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/international-education-council
	The Construction Council has met three times since its formation. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has attended every meeting and I also attended the first. The membership for the council is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210099/bis-13-955-construction-2025-industrial-strategy.pdf
	The Offshore Wind Industry Council has met three times and I attended on each occasion. The membership and minutes are available at:
	http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/energy-infrastructure/offshore-wind-energy/working-with-us/offshore-wind-industry-council/
	The Life Sciences Sector Councils includes the Ministerial Industry Strategy Group (MISG) and the Ministerial Medical Technology Strategy Group (MMTSG). These groups have been in operation for many years. However, following the launch of the industrial strategy in September 2012, the groups have both met three times. The Minister of State for Universities and Science and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality, my right hon. and noble Friend (Earl Howe), have attended each meeting but there has also been attendance from the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, my noble Friend (Lord Deighton), on occasions. The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ministerial-industry-strategy-group
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ministerial-medical-technology-strategy-group
	The Nuclear Industry Council has met four times and has been attended by at least one Minister on each occasion (including the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), and myself). The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/nuclear-industry-council#membership
	The Information Economy Council has met four times. The Minister of State for Universities and Science has attended three of these meetings and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), chaired the fourth meeting in his absence. The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.techuk.org/about/information-economy-council/leadership
	The Oil and Gas Council has met four times with ministerial attendance from either the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills or myself at each meeting. The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/175480/bis-13-748-uk-oil-and-gas-industrial-strategy.pdf
	The Agri-tech Council has met four times and has also held a telephone conference. There has been ministerial attendance from both the Minister of State for Universities and Science and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science, my noble Friend (Lord De Mauley) at three of the meetings and attendance from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science at the fourth. The council’s membership is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/227259/9643-BIS-UK_Agri_Tech_Strategy_Accessible.pdf
	The Professional and Business Services Council has met six times since it was formed in December 2012. On each occasion, at least one BIS Minister (the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, myself and/or the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my noble Friend (Viscount Younger of Leckie)) attended. The council’s membership is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211842/bis-13-922-growth-is-our-business-professional-and-business-services-strategy.pdf
	The Aerospace Growth Partnership has met seven times since it was formed in 2011 with each meeting co-chaired by myself.
	The Automotive Council has met on five occasions since the launch of industrial strategy. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has attended each meeting and I have attended on three occasions. Membership of the council is available at:
	http://www.automotivecouncil.co.uk/what-we-do/members

Parental Leave

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the annual (a) total cost and (b) cost per (i) female and (ii) male employee of maternity and paternity leave.

Jennifer Willott: The Government carried out an analysis of the costs and benefits of providing leave for mothers and fathers in the impact assessment which accompanied its consultation on the administration of shared parental leave which was published in February 2013. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/110692/13-651-modern-workplaces-shared-parental-leave-and-pay-impact-assessment2.pdf
	The impact assessment reflects the fact that there are costs for both the Exchequer and business associated with the taking of maternity and paternity leave. Business costs include, for example, where employers provide occupational maternity or paternity schemes which go beyond the statutory minimum, and the costs associated with recruiting staff to cover a period of absence.
	In relation to Exchequer costs, the Government collects data on the total amount of statutory paternity pay and statutory maternity pay paid to employees by employers and uses this to estimate the numbers taking paternity/maternity leave and the size of average, or average weekly, claims. These figures represent the cost to the Exchequer rather than business as statutory payments can be reclaimed by the employer. The latest available figures for the costs to the Exchequer are as follows:
	
		
			 Maternity pay and maternity allowance 
			  Number of claimants commencing in year 2011/12 Total claimed (£ billion) Average claim (2010/11) (£) 
			 Maternity Pay 355,000 2.2 5,890 
			 Source: Expenditure is from employer returns to HMRC and is the average amount recovered by employers. Average claim and spells commencing is based on L2 data (a 1% sample of HMRC National Insurance Contribution records). 
		
	
	
		
			  Average number of claimants at any one time: May 2013 Total Expenditure: 2012/13 (£ million) Average weekly claim: May 2013 (£) 
			 Maternity Allowance 57,400 395 117.57 
			 Notes: 1. SMP Expenditure is subject to change due to late returns submitted by employers to HM Revenue and Customs. 2. Maternity allowance weekly amounts are the average in payment at the end of May 2013. 3. Maternity allowance claimants exclude a small number of clerical cases and only include those with a successful claim to Maternity Allowance. Source: A combination of DWP accounting data and 5% Administrative Data. Further figures on Maternity Allowance are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/maternity-allowance-quarterly-statistics 
		
	
	
		
			 Paternity pay 
			 2012/13 
			  Number of claimants Total claimed (£ million) Average claim (£) 
			 Ordinary Statutory Paternity Pay 208,600 50.3 241.25 
			 Additional Statutory Paternity Pay 3,867 5.8 1,218 
			 Note: All figures are estimates using the HMRC CANDIF database. Figures are calculated using a 2% or 3% scan of employer national insurance returns and scaling the results up to create a 100% estimate. Scan conducted in January 2014.

Paternity Leave

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will introduce financial support for individuals who have worked previously but do not qualify for statutory paternity leave and pay because they have recently started in their new position.

Jennifer Willott: The Government has no plans to introduce financial support for individuals who do not qualify for statutory paternity leave and pay because they do not have the required length of service.
	Paternity leave and pay was considered as part of a broader examination of family-related leave which led to the introduction of shared parental leave and pay through the Children and Families Act 2014.
	It is important to maintain the right balance between the needs of employees to take leave and the needs of employers to have certainty when recruiting and hiring new staff. Paternity leave and pay can be taken immediately from the birth of a child to allow the father to care for the mother and the newborn. This means that unlike annual leave, where the exact dates of the absence can be agreed in advance, paternity leave dates are subject to change.
	The 26-week service qualification period allows employers to plan effectively to cover an employee’s absence during the paternity leave period, which would not be possible if the employee had just been recruited.
	Unlike paternity leave, maternity leave is a day one right to ensure the health and well-being of both mother and baby. In order to qualify for statutory maternity pay, a mother must have 26 weeks qualifying service (the same requirements as for paternity pay). Those mothers who do not have the requisite service for statutory maternity pay may be entitled to maternity allowance. This is because the benefit system recognises pregnant women and new mothers have a specific need to protect their own health and safety, and the health of their child, by allowing them to take time off work. There is no equivalent paternity allowance or adoption allowance, as there are not equivalent health and safety reasons to do so.
	We have committed to a review of the changes to employment law enacted by the Children and Families Act after 2018.

Digital Government

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to promote digital government.

Nick Hurd: Online services tend to be faster, cheaper and more convenient, so we want all major Government transactions to be digital by default.
	This is not just about the opportunity to save the taxpayer over £ 1 billion by the end of this parliament, it is about transforming the experience that citizens have of dealing with Government.

Youth Services

Ian Mearns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to maintain the level of youth services provision.

Nick Hurd: We are supporting the voluntary sector in offering new learning opportunities for young people through programmes like NCS.
	In addition, we will be offering practical support to local authorities who want to deliver high quality youth services in an innovative way-for example by access to our £10 million support programme for mutuals.

Government Departments: ICT

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on ensuring that Government IT initiatives represent best value for money; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: After the 2010 general election, this Government formed the Efficiency and Reform Group to help and support departments in maximising value for money. Although responsibility for projects remains the responsibility of individual departments, we introduced strict controls to provide further scrutiny of spend including on IT projects.
	These controls can and have been used by the Cabinet Office to block inappropriate spending. In 2012-13 alone these controls helped us save taxpayers over £500 million from IT, contributing to overall efficiency savings of £10 billion in 2012-13 (the last year for which we have audited figures).
	We have clarified our ‘red lines’ for IT procurement—these are designed to encourage competition in the sector, free the government from longstanding inflexible contracts with IT providers and ensure maximum taxpayer value. These rules include:
	we will no longer let ICT contracts over £100 million in value —unless there is an exceptional reason to do so. Contracts should be smaller to ensure the widest possible range of suppliers can compete for them.
	we will not give a contract for service provision to a company providing the system integration function in the same part of government. It’s an important way of ensuring we are an intelligent customer.
	we won’t extend existing contracts unless there is a compelling case—it’s rare to find any good reason to extend the pricing and technology of the past.
	we do not expect to let hosting contracts for more than two years. The cost of hosting seems to halve every 18-months. Businesses wouldn’t sign up for years upon end—and neither should government.

Government Departments: Procurement

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts the Government holds with (a) Johnson & Johnson, (b) Ethicon and (c) BARD; and what the value was of contracts with each such company.

Francis Maude: Since January 2011, as part of the Government’s transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder at:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Non-governmental Organisations: Vetting

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what background checks are regularly made on appointees to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations.

Francis Maude: As was the case under the previous Administration, the Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. As set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, public appointees are expected to uphold the standards of conduct set out in the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s Seven Principles of Public Life.

Local Government

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress he has made on the localism agenda; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: This Government has been clear about its intention to devolve power, responsibility and decision-making down to the lowest possible level. This vision underpins significant elements of our policy agenda which are transferring power and freedom to both local councils and communities, some of which are noted as follows.
	Nearly 1,000 assets of community value have been listed and we have helped 150 organisations to acquire a community asset or obtain significant investment towards doing so. 16 local campaigns for new parish councils are being supported covering local populations of more than half a million people. Over 100 new Our Place areas are starting work within their communities to transform neighbourhood level service delivery. Community share issues have raised over £24 million for community ventures.
	Nearly 800 neighbourhood planning areas have been designated, and all 13 plans which have so far reached referenda have passed with significant majorities in favour.
	Local authorities are now required to pass a proportion of Community Infrastructure Levy funding to local communities so that they can directly see the benefit of local development.
	Over 2013-15 £14 million has been made available for community groups to develop their proposals for Community Right to Build orders or to progress community-led development. Groups can develop their ideas on the development that they want and need in their areas. Applications for this funding continue to rise with around 60 applications received.
	In April 2014 four new combined authorities were established, on the request of the councils concerned. These will support the councils to collaborate and work jointly across the wider functional economic areas on economic development, regeneration and transport to support economic growth in the areas of South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Merseyside and Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.
	The Government wants local authorities to be more transparent and accountable to local people for how they spend money, deliver services and take decisions. We will shortly be publishing a revised local authority transparency code extending the breadth of data that local authorities must publish and will make regulations to make publication of certain data a legal requirement. Also, regulations which will allow members of the public including professional journalists to film, photograph, audio-record and use social media to report the proceedings of meetings of local government bodies, and to access documents relating to decisions made by officers under delegation from their local government bodies, are now before Parliament.
	Under the business rates retention scheme local authorities now directly retain nearly £11 billion of business rates, instead of returning it to Whitehall.
	The Government has also reformed the outdated council housing finance system with the introduction of self-financing in 2012. This has given the 167 council landlords greater freedoms and the ability to plan for the long term to better meet the needs of their tenants and local area.
	“HomeSwap” Direct-the national home swap scheme which increases opportunities for social tenants wishing to move through mutual exchange-was launched in October 2011 and since then tenants have made over 18 million searches of ‘partner’ data.
	Social landlords are now free to match the length of tenancy to the needs of the household and to use their social housing stock in a way which best meets the needs of their local area. Councils have the freedom to decide who qualifies for social housing in their area and to find alternative solutions for those who do not qualify.

Staff

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of his Department's staff excluding non-departmental public bodies were (a) women in top management posts women, (b) women, (c) black and minority ethnic and (d) disabled.

Brandon Lewis: The current proportion of women in DCLG top management posts is 36.8%. While there is more to do to ensure the civil service has the very best possible mix of existing and future talent, I would observe that this is an increase from 33.0% from 2009-10, and is higher than the civil service work force target of 34.0%.
	I also refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, columns 398-400W.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Brandon Lewis: My Department does not routinely record this information in the format requested. However, this Administration has cut spending significantly on office supplies, cutting expenditure from £480,180 (inc VAT) in 2009-10 to £73,738 in 2013-14.
	In 2010, we conducted an internal review of the Department’s spend on office supplies which highlighted several opportunities to achieve savings. A rationalised list of stationery items was created which:
	reduced the available catalogue of items from around 3,500 to approximately 220;
	replaced higher value branded items, with non-branded equivalents; and
	adopted recycled printer toners and copier paper.
	Significant savings were also achieved by aggregating the spend of all Departments and awarding a single Cabinet Office contract for stationery items and one for electronic office supplies (printer toners and other consumables). These contracts were awarded in September 2011 and DCLG were among the first departments to adopt them in November 2011.
	As part of our planned move of office accommodation this summer (to share with the Home Office to save taxpayers’ money), stationery across the department will be surrendered and pooled, with the potential to save money by not ordering items locally and preventing a build-up of surplus stationery stock.
	I hope this illustrates how every bit of the public sector has the potential to deliver sensible savings on back office costs.

Tell MAMA

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much grant-in-aid his Department has provided to Tell MAMA since May 2010; and what further funding he expects to provide.

Stephen Williams: TELL MAMA is the first service to record and monitor anti-Muslim hatred incidents and support victims. DCLG provided initial start-up grant funding to TELL MAMA of £395,500 between January 2012 and September 2013. TELL MAMA has subsequently received Big Lottery funding of £255,450 over two years from October 2013.

Domestic Violence

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has commissioned on a potential relationship between domestic abuse experienced by children and low educational attainment in later life.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has not commissioned research on the possible relationship between domestic abuse and a child's subsequent educational attainment. Reports published earlier this year by the Early Intervention Foundation and by Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse highlighted the impact on children's wellbeing of exposure to domestic abuse. Though these reports did not focus on later educational attainment, they illustrated potential disruption to children's lives that is likely to affect their education. The Government is committed to safeguarding children from any form of abuse.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department has issued to other government departments on implementing the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when considering new policy or legislation.

Edward Timpson: The Cabinet Office’s ‘Guide to Making Legislation’, published in July 2013, states that officials in all Government Departments are expected to have regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) before starting the legislative process. A copy of the guidance is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210917/Guide_to_Making_Legislation _July_2013.pdf
	It is for individual Departments to determine how best to comply with this commitment in practice. The Department for Education has offered advice to them in a variety of forms in our role of co-ordinating the forthcoming report to the UN Committee for the UK’s fifth periodic review, which will set out the progress which has been made in implementing the UNCRC since the last review in 2008.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the voter registration rate was for 18 year olds in each of the last 30 years.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not hold figures on the registration rates for 18-year-olds in each of the last 30 years.
	However, it does hold estimates of registration rates for age groups from several studies conducted on the accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers in Great Britain.
	
		
			 Register Age band Registration rate (percentage) Study conducted by: 
			 April 2011 (Great Britain) 17 to 18 55 Electoral Commission (EC) 
			  19 to 24 56  
			     
			 February 2001 (England and Wales) 18 to 24 84 EC and Office for National Statistics 
			     
			 February 1991 (Great Britain) 18 to 19 88 Office of Population Census and Surveys—Social Survey Division 
			 February 1981 (Great Britain) 18 to 19 87

Energy: Housing

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the required rate of delivery of household energy efficiency measures required in order to meet carbon emissions reduction targets.

Gregory Barker: The Government published its “Energy Efficiency Strategy” in 2012, and “Fifth Annual Progress Report: Meeting the Carbon Budgets—2013 Progress Report to Parliament” in October 2013, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/65602/6927-energy-efficiency-strategy--the-energy-efficiency.pdf
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/249172/CCC5th.pdf
	These set the longer term context for delivering energy efficiency measures into the UK’s housing stock, and the potential contribution they can make to delivering our longer term carbon targets.

Asylum: Deportation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 16W, on asylum: deportation, to which countries the enforced removals of adults previously classified as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were made in each such year.

James Brokenshire: The following table shows the number of enforced removals of adults who were previously classified as Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) for the period January 2009 to December 2013.
	
		
			 Destination 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Grand total 
			 Taiwan (Republic of China) 2 8 30 18 22 80 
			 Ghana 5 16 24 7 11 63 
			 Pakistan 6 17 13 7 4 47 
			 India 0 3 17 13 13 46 
			 China 5 6 15 6 10 42 
			 Italy 4 7 17 6 8 42 
			 Kenya 1 2 12 6 10 31 
			 Malaysia 6 3 13 1 2 25 
			 United Arab Emirates 2 6 6 3 4 21 
			 Brazil 0 5 5 4 4 18 
			 New Zealand 0 1 1 5 8 15 
			 Ukraine 1 2 6 3 2 14 
		
	
	
		
			 Gambia 1 2 6 0 0 9 
			 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0 4 1 3 0 8 
			 Germany 1 2 2 0 2 7 
			 Greece 0 2 1 0 2 5 
			 Mongolia 0 2 1 1 0 4 
			 South Africa 0 0 3 1 0 4 
			 Albania 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Nigeria 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Uganda 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Destination field is blank 4 3 10 2 6 25 
			 Grand total 38 91 183 87 110 509 
			 Notes: 1. Destinations do not always equate to final destinations. 2. Data relates to people that were over 18 at time of departures. 3. Figures provided cover the calendar years 1 January to 31 December.

Crime: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of trends in the level of rural crime; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Across the country, crime has fallen by more than ten per cent since June 2010.The latest published data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that the proportion of adults who were victims of crime was substantially lower in rural than urban areas, and has been falling since 2009/10. According to the 2012/13 Crime Survey for England and Wales, 13.4 per cent of people in rural areas were victims of crime, compared with 20.1 per cent in urban areas.
	However, the latest findings from the Commercial Victimisation Survey of crimes against businesses, which looked at crime affecting the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry, showed that there were 130,000 incidents of crime against the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in 2013, affecting just under a third (30 per cent) of premises. Of the six business sectors surveyed in 2012 and 2013, the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector experienced the lowest rate of overall crime (1,475 incidents per 1,000 premises).
	The Government recognises that rural communities are vulnerable to certain crimes. The election of Police and Crime Commissioners has given communities, including rural communities, a stronger voice in determining how police resources are allocated to tackle the crimes that matter most to them.

Drugs: Misuse

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to give local authorities greater powers to deal with the consumption of legal highs in a public place; and what support he is providing to councils who wish to put by-laws in place to prevent such consumption.

Norman Baker: As stated in my answer to the Honourable Member of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 112W, on 12 December 2013 I announced a review by an expert panel to look at how the UK’s response to new psychoactive substances, sometimes inaccurately called ‘legal highs’, can be enhanced beyond the existing measures. The expert panel includes a senior policy adviser from the Local Government Association to inform the work of the panel from a local government perspective, including whether existing by-laws may be used to tackle this damaging trade. This work is ongoing, and the panel is due to report its recommendations by the end of spring 2014.
	To support local authorities, the Home Office published guidance in December 2013 setting out the range of legislative tools local authorities can use to tackle the 'head shops' where these substances are often sold. This was developed in collaboration with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and the Trading Standards Institute and can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/action-against-head-shops
	The guidance covers offences head shops may be committing under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985, and various consumer protection regulations.
	The Home Office has also provided targeted support to local authorities with testing of new psychoactive substances through the Forensic Early Warning System, to help them take action against the sale of these products by identifying the contents.

Entry Clearances

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the contribution of the (a) Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa route and (b) Tier 1 (Investor) visa route on economic growth.

James Brokenshire: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on economic issues relating to migration.
	On 1 July 2013 the MAC published a “Report on the economic and labour market impacts of tier 1 entrepreneur and investor migrants to the UK” which it had commissioned from the Migration Observatory. The report made a number of findings, although it concluded that it was too early to make a full assessment of the economic contribution of the two routes without further research. The report is available on the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-and-labour-market-impacts-tier-1-entrepreneur-and-investor-migrants
	More recently, on 25 February 2014 the MAC published its own report, “Tier 1 (Investor) route: investment thresholds and economic benefits” in response to a Government commission. The MAC concluded that the direct investment required by the route is of little or no benefit, but there is some benefit from indirect spending by investors and their families in the UK (although this is difficult to quantify). The report is available on the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-investment-limits-and-economic-benefits-of-the-tier-1-investor-route-feb-2014
	The Government keeps all routes under review and is currently considering its response to the MAC’s report on the Tier 1 (Investor) route.

Fraud

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to improve the performance of each police force in England in handling cases referred to them by the City of London Fraud Unit; and what the percentage detection is for such cases in each police force area.

Damian Green: The response of individual police forces to fraud is a matter for the respective police and crime commissioner. However the Government is committed to assisting and, supported by £30 million of Government investment in regional organised crime units last year, the police are improving consistency and uplifting their investigative capabilities in areas including cyber crime and fraud. In addition, we have committed as part of the National Cyber Security Programme to train 5,000 police officers in cyber crime by 2015.
	From 1 April 2013, all police forces have been required to return outcomes under Home Office Counting Rules for fraud and cyber crimes to the City of London police (which runs the Action Fraud service). The data for the 2013-14 financial year is currently being collated and analysed by City of London police, and will be made available to police forces shortly.

Human Trafficking: Albania

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a comparative assessment of the sources, reliability and mutual compatibility of the statistics on the number of human trafficking victims from Albania given in parliamentary written answers and in the annual reports of the National Crime Agency.

Karen Bradley: A comparative assessment has been made.
	Parliamentary questions regularly ask for specific details about suspected victims of trafficking referred to the trafficking victim support service operated by the Salvation Army.
	The source of this data is the Salvation Army records.
	The National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes statistics each year on the number of potential victims who have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism.
	The source of this data is the NCA records.
	The two sets of figures measure slightly different things but are mutually compatible.
	Not all of the potential victims who are referred to the National Referral Mechanism will then be referred to the Salvation Army for victim support. Some might not receive a positive reasonable grounds decision and others might not want Government-funded support.
	We would therefore expect the number of cases referred to the National Referral Mechanism, reported by the NCA, to be higher than the number of cases referred to the Salvation Army for victim support, reported by the regular parliamentary questions.
	This is borne out by our comparative assessment. The table below lists the PQs that have requested data about the number of potential victims referred to the Salvation Army, and lists the number of Albanian victims supported each month.
	In total, this data indicates that there were 139 Albanian adult victims referred to the Salvation Army for victim support in 2013 in England and Wales.
	This is lower than the 208 potential adult Albanian victims who were originally referred to the National Referral Mechanism in 2013 from England and Wales, as reported in the NCA’s annual report.
	
		
			  MP Hansard reference Number of Albanian victims supported 
			 January Tony Baldry 14 February 2013, Official Report, column 866W 5 
			 February Amber Rudd 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 33W 9 
			 March Margot James 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 925W 7 
			 April Robert Buckland 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 927W 14 
			 May David Simpson 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 712W 10 
			 June Chris Ruane 10 July 2013, Official Report, column 276W 9 
			 July Fiona Bruce 6 February 2014, Official Report, column 325W 12 
			 August Caroline Spelman 28 October 2013, Official Report, column 358W 9 
			 September Peter Bone 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 512W 16 
			 October Fiona Bruce 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 613W 23 
			 November John Randall 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 277W 17 
			 December Frank Field 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 481W 8 
			 Total   139

Licensing Laws: Wales

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons premises in Wales have not been included in the extension of licensing hours during the FIFA World Cup.

Norman Baker: The Government consulted publicly on whether licensing hours should be relaxed during the FIFA World Cup 2014. A range of representations were made both for and against the proposal. We received a total of 1,468 responses to the online consultation. 77% (1,095 respondents) believed that any national relaxation of licensing hours should apply to England and Wales. However, only 2% (25 respondents) identified themselves as living or working in Wales.
	While a majority of Welsh respondents favoured a relaxation for England and Wales, there was a difference between English and Welsh respondents about how the relaxation might be delivered. There was a clear majority of Welsh respondents who favoured using the Temporary Event Notice system, rather than a blanket relaxation, while of English respondents the majority (74%) favoured a blanket relaxation. This is consistent with what the Government has opted to do: a national blanket relaxation in England, with licensed premises able to use the Temporary Event Notice system in Wales.
	Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003 allows the relevant Secretary of State to make an order relaxing opening hours for licensed premises to mark occasions of ‘exceptional international, national or local significance’. The Government considers that the England football team’s participation in the FIFA World Cup 2014 is an event of exceptional national significance in England.
	The Government has therefore decided not to include Wales in the relaxation of licensing hours for the FIFA World Cup 2014. However, licensed premises in Wales wishing to remain open beyond their licensed hours will be able to do so by using the Temporary Event Notice procedure.

Licensing Laws: Wales

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will include premises in Wales in the extension of licensing hours during FIFA World Cup matches.

Norman Baker: The Government consulted publicly on whether licensing hours should be relaxed during the FIFA World Cup 2014. A range of representations were made both for and against the proposal. We received a total of 1,468 responses to the online consultation. 77% (1,095 respondents) believed that any national relaxation of licensing hours should apply to England and Wales. However, only 2% (25 respondents) identified themselves as living or working in Wales.
	While a majority of Welsh respondents favoured a relaxation for England and Wales, there was a difference between English and Welsh respondents about how the relaxation might be delivered. There was a clear majority of Welsh respondents who favoured using the Temporary Event Notice system, rather than a blanket relaxation, while of English respondents the majority (74%) favoured a blanket relaxation. This is consistent with what the Government has opted to do: a national blanket relaxation in England, with licensed premises able to use the Temporary Event Notice system in Wales.
	Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003 allows the relevant Secretary of State to make an order relaxing opening hours for licensed premises to mark occasions of ‘exceptional international, national or local significance’. The Government considers that the England football team’s participation in the FIFA World Cup 2014 is an event of exceptional national significance in England.
	The Government has therefore decided not to include Wales in the relaxation of licensing hours for the FIFA World Cup 2014. However, licensed premises in Wales wishing to remain open beyond their licensed hours will be able to do so by using the Temporary Event Notice procedure.

National Insurance Contributions

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to his letter of April 2014 sent to small businesses on employment allowance, if he will clarify who was meant by the use of we in the third paragraph; and whether he has discussed the neutrality of such a phase with the Electoral Commission.

David Cameron: As set out in the Programme for Government, this Government has a long-term plan to build a new economy, which supports sustainable growth and enterprise. The employment allowance was introduced to promote both growth and employment, particularly among small businesses. I have had no discussion with the Electoral Commission on the letter.

Inheritance Tax

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the £325,000 inheritance tax threshold to (a) £1 million and (b) £500,000 in each of the next five financial years.

David Gauke: This Government has no current plans to increase the inheritance tax threshold.

Minimum Wage: Northern Ireland

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to tackle cases of employees in Northern Ireland being paid below the minimum wage.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously and HMRC enforce the NMW legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.
	HMRC has an NMW enforcement team based in Belfast, and that team investigates all complaints received by the Pay and Work Rights helpline relating to Northern Ireland-based employers alongside employers who are based and trading in the wider UK. The NMW Belfast team works closely with other Northern Ireland enforcement agencies including the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Home Office Immigration and Enforcement and Department of Employment and Learning.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to reduce the amount of stamp duty paid by first-time home buyers.

David Gauke: The stamp duty land tax relief for first time buyers in existence between March 2010 and March 2012 was found by HMRC to be ineffective in increasing the number of first time buyers entering the market.
	The Government is instead taking other steps to support those wishing to purchase a home, such as the Help to Buy and NewBuy schemes.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of men and women who make use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit; and if he will assess the potential effects of increasing that limit on couples saving together for retirement.

David Gauke: As shown in HMRC’s published statistics (Table PEN3 available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/259967/pen3.pdf
	in 2011-12 around 20,000 unemployed adults made or received contributions into their personal pensions. 6,000 of these individuals made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit of £3,600 including basic rate tax relief.
	A further 10,000 children, 10,000 individuals in full time education and 10,000 carers made or received contributions into their personal pensions. Of these, around a quarter made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit.
	Of the individuals mentioned above who made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit in 2011-12, around two thirds were female.
	The Government has made no assessment of the effects of increasing the limit on couples saving together for retirement but keeps all tax policies under review.

Taxation: Business

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to reduce taxation on small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Government is committed to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business and has focused a number of measures specifically on small businesses.
	These include a £2,000 employment allowance available from April 2014 to support small businesses aspiring to hire their first employee or expand their work force; and, as set out in the autumn statement 2013, a £1 billion package of business rates measures, 90% of which is going to businesses occupying small premises. The Government is also increasing the payable R&D tax credit for loss-making SMEs from 11% to 14.5 from April 2014, providing particular support for early-stage companies and start-ups, who face the greatest risks and barriers to R&D investment.
	Fuel costs are also significant for many small businesses so the Government has implemented the longest duty freeze for over 20 years. In total, by 2015-16 a small business with a van will have saved £1,300 and a haulier £21,000.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants were subject to sanctions in each county in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on JSA sanctions, including a range of geographical breakdowns is published and available at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	JSA claimant count data by geographical area is published and available at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 103-4W, on state retirement pensions, if he will assess whether a woman born on 6 April 1981 who was in continuous employment from her 21st birthday until her state pension age as derived in line with the practice outlined in the Pensions Bill, had worked consistently in contracted-in employment for 30 hours a week in a role which paid the national minimum wage, had average female life expectancy, in line with the most recent ONS population projections, and was subject to any other assumptions used in the impact assessment which accompanied the Pensions Bill, would receive a different level of pension at the point of retirement under the single tier mechanism than they would have expected under the current pension system; and what the difference in the level of pension would be.

Steve Webb: The state pension reforms radically simplify state pension provision, by replacing the current, two-tiered pension system with a simpler single-tier state pension for people reaching state pension age after 6 April 2016.
	The majority of people reaching state pension age in the 40 years after the new state pension is implemented will have a higher pension income overall over the course of their retirement as a result of the reforms. The new state pension will also underpin automatic enrolment, which will see around 9 million people saving more, or saving for the first time, into a workplace pension.
	The Pensions Bill provides for the Government to carry out a review of state pension age every Parliament. It is our intention that state pension ages will only be finalised once someone is within 10 years of their proposed state pension age. Because this date will be affected by future changes in longevity, at this point we cannot say with certainty what will be the state pension age for people born in the 1980s. In addition, any calculation on pension entitlement would also depend on decisions that have not yet been taken, including the starting rate for the single tier. Furthermore, future state pension levels are determined by up-rating decisions taken by Governments on a year-by-year basis. Therefore, while we have forecast the possible impacts of the new system at a population level, it is not possible to give definitive statements of the future state pension entitlements for individuals who do not yet have a set state pension age, whether under the current system or under the single tier pension
	For the first few cohorts of people reaching state pension age from April 2016, the Government will provide a statement service to help them plan for retirement.

Burma

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether the government of Burma plans to open a country office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in that country.

Hugo Swire: It has been over 18 months since President Thein Sein committed to opening an in-country Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This would allow for more constructive relations between the international community and the Government on human rights. Most recently, the British ambassador raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister on 31 March. We continue to call on the Government to publish a timeline for the opening of the Office, with a mandate that includes monitoring and technical assistance.

Burma

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by the Burmese Government to (a) prevent sexual violence and (b) end impunity for sexual offences allegedly committed by the Burmese military.

Hugo Swire: During his visit to the UK last year, President Thein Sein welcomed the initiative of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on preventing sexual violence in conflict (PSVI). We continue to encourage Burma to join 146 nations and endorse the declaration on PSVI. The launch in October 2013 of the Burmese Government’s National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (NSPAW) committed Burma
	“to develop and strengthen laws, systems, structures and practices to eliminate all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls and to respond to the needs of women and girls affected by violence”.
	We are clear, however, that all of these steps need to be accompanied by actions leading to real progress in Burma. We remain concerned by continued reports of sexual violence against women, including reports of crimes committed by members of the Burmese military. We regularly lobby the Burmese Government on the rights of women, particularly on preventing sexual violence in conflict areas. We continue to make clear that where serious crimes have been committed, those who have perpetrated them should be held accountable for their actions. I raised the issue of sexual violence directly with senior Ministers, the commander in chief and the northern commander during my visit to Burma in January. More recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised the issue in a call with the Burmese Foreign Minister on 28 April.

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reasons the Government received from the Chinese Government for the cancellation of the UK-China human rights dialogue in April 2014; and when the Government was informed of that cancellation.

Hugo Swire: The dialogue was originally scheduled for 15-16 April, but China informed us of its decision to postpone on 7 April. An open exchange of views on human rights is in the interests of both sides, and is an important part of our bilateral relationship. We are working with the Chinese Government to reschedule the dialogue as soon as possible.

Armed Forces: Mortgages

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that mortgage lenders are aware of the Armed Forces Help to Buy scheme.

Philip Dunne: As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), in September 2013, the Forces Help to Buy scheme was launched on 1 April 2014. The Department has worked closely with the Council of Mortgage Lenders throughout the development and roll-out of the scheme. There have also been consultations with a range of other bodies, such as the Building Societies Association, the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries and the Financial Conduct Authority, as well as with individual mortgage lenders.

Litter

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of programmes in the UK and other EU countries which aim to reduce litter; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The Government has not carried out any comparative assessment of the performance of litter reduction programmes in the UK and the rest of the EU.

Ambulance Services: East Midlands

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much grant his Department has supplied (a) in cash terms and (b) in real terms in 2010 prices to the East Midlands Ambulance Service in each financial year since 2010-11.

Daniel Poulter: National health service trusts do not receive funding directly from the Department of Health. In contrast to primary care trusts (PCTs) (and now NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)), NHS trusts are not funded directly by the Secretary of State, from sums voted by Parliament.
	NHS trusts are semi-autonomous organisations whose income derives from the provision of services, formerly to PCTs, now to NHS England and CCGs, through what might be described as trading activity.
	The NHS trust regime has similarities to the regime for Government Trading Funds, where expenditure for Government activity is met from income from third parties, rather than direct funding from resources voted to the Department.
	The following table, taken directly from East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust year-end accounts, summarises the income received in the year 2010-11 to 2012-13.
	
		
			 1. In cash terms: Nominal Value Per Annual Accounts 
			 £000 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Revenue From Patient Care Activities    
			 Strategic Health Authorities 979 0 0 
			 NHS Trusts 386 90 691 
			 Primary Care Trusts—Non Tariff 153,962 163,414 147,698 
			 Foundation Trusts 425 439 104 
			 Department of Health 3,510 93 748 
			 Non-NHS: Other 741 1,156 574 
			 Total Revenue from Patient Care Activities 160,003 165,192 149,815 
			     
			 Other Operating Revenue:    
			 Recoveries in respect employee benefits 0 386 298 
			 Education, Training and Research 269 1,532 1,541 
			 Receipt of grants/donations for capital acquisitions 51 0 0 
			 Income generation 1,163 957 1,190 
			 Rental Revenue from Operating Leases 95 8 4 
			 Other Revenue 62 1,449 2,181 
			     
			 Total Other Operating Revenue 1,640 4,341 5,226 
			     
			 Total Operating Revenue 161,643 169,533 155,041 
		
	
	
		
			 2. In real terms: Restated at 2012-13 Prices 
			 £000 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Revenue From Patient Care Activities    
			 Strategic Health Authorities 1013 0 0 
			 NHS Trusts 399 91 691 
			 Primary Care Trusts- Non Tariff 159,259 165,297 147,698 
			 Foundation Trusts 440 444 104 
			 Department of Health 3,631 94 748 
			 Non-NHS: Other 766 1,169 574 
			 Total Revenue from Patient Care Activities 165,508 167,095 149,815 
			     
			 Other Operating Revenue    
			 Recoveries in respect employee benefits 0 390 298 
			 Education, Training and Research 278 1,550 1,541 
			 Receipt of grants/donations for capital acquisitions 53 0 0 
			 Income generation 1,203 968 1,190 
			 Rental Revenue from Operating Leases 98 8 4 
			 Other Revenue 64 1,466 2,181 
			     
			 Total Other Operating Revenue 1,696 4,382 5,214 
			     
			 Total Operating Revenue 167,204 171,477 155,029

Cancer

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to support NHS staff to deliver an improved experience of care for cancer patients.

Jane Ellison: Through the Mandate, we have asked NHS England to deliver continued improvements in relation to the experience of care, including cancer care, and Health Education England to ensure that current and future national health service and public health staff receive high quality education, training and development to enable them to deliver the highest possible quality of prevention and care for patients and the public now and in the future.
	NHS England's business plan focuses on the fundamental cultural change to put people at the centre of the NHS. In 2014-15 it is overseeing a programme to improve cancer patient experience and is currently undertaking a review of its insight programme and strategy. By working with NHS Improving Quality, Macmillan and other partners, with oversight from NHS England and the Cancer Patient Experience Advisory Group, improvements will be made at provider level. In particular, the cancer patient experience survey will be a key tool to deliver this.
	This month, NHS England is introducing the Staff Friends and Family Test for all NHS trusts in England, as research shows the strong link between levels of staff engagement and quality of patient experience.
	Health Education England, as the national leadership body for education, training and development of the health work force will ensure that the right numbers of health professionals are trained—with the right skills and behaviours—to support delivery of high quality service and health improvement across England.
	The response to the Francis Inquiry sets out a wide range of measures to create a culture of openness where staff are supported to deliver compassionate care and improve patient safety. For example, 10,000 nurses and midwives will have taken part in a new leadership programme by April 2015 which is focused on championing compassionate; patient-centred care.

Cancer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 33-4W, on cancer, how many GPs have completed the four modules of the online learning tool for GPs on late diagnosis.

Jane Ellison: The requested information is not centrally collected.
	However, evaluation reports provided by British Medical Journal Learning throughout 2013 included information on total number of users who accessed the online learning modules and a breakdown of users by profession. The information is presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Total number of users who access the e-learning modules and breakdown of users by profession 
			 BMJ Learning online tool Date report received Total number of users Users who categorised themselves as doctor/physician Users who categorised themselves as GP (principal/partner; salaried/non-principal/locum) 
			 Module 1: Tackling late diagnosis of cancer May 2013 1,568 1,046 621 
			      
			 Module 2a: Diagnosing osteosarcoma and brain tumours in children August 2013 298 152 68 
			      
			 Module 2b: Diagnosing. osteosarcoma and brain tumours in children— communication skills September 2013 390 203 92 
			      
			 Module 3: Risk assessment tools November 2013 1,463 1,263 475 
			 Module 4: Cancer Pathway and the role of primary care November 2013 1,507 1,350 596 
			 Notes: 1. Users are able to choose more than one 'category' when registering, so number by profession may be greater than the total number of users. 2. Most relevant categories of profession have been extracted from the report for this question.

Drugs: Side Effects

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of deaths caused by adverse reactions to prescribed drugs in each of the last four years.

Norman Lamb: Reports of ‘suspected’ adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme; the Yellow Card scheme. The scheme collects ADR reports from across the whole United Kingdom and includes all medicines, including those from prescriptions, over-the-counter or general retail sales. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.
	The following table provides a breakdown of the total number of UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports received by the MHRA during the last four years with a fatal outcome.
	
		
			  Number of reports 
			 2010 1,478 
			 2011 1,872 
			 2012 1,568 
			 2013 1,604 
		
	
	It should be noted that these data represent all UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports with a fatal outcome received through the Yellow Card scheme. The data cannot be stratified according to licensed or unlicensed medicines.

Food: Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the prevalence of food fraud in restaurants and food outlets.

Jane Ellison: There has been no specific assessment made of overall levels of food fraud in United Kingdom food outlets.
	Sampling data held centrally by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) indicates that for 2013, the overall non-compliance rate for local authority testing for all meat substitution was 13.5% from the 4,052 samples. The FSA is looking at whether any co-ordinated action is needed in response to these findings, though these figures should not be considered as constituting a likely assessment of levels of fraud as non-compliance can be for a range of reasons, of which fraud may be one.
	Local authority sampling is generally targeted towards areas where they expect to find problems and therefore levels of non-compliance tend to be higher than would be expected for randomised surveys of foods of the market.
	Food authenticity and food adulteration issues have been prioritised as part of the FSA co-ordinated programme of food sampling carried out by local authorities. In cases of non-compliance, enforcement is carried out by local authority enforcement officers, and where food fraud is suspected, this information will be passed on to the FSA.
	The FSA has encouraged a greater level of reporting of suspected food fraud, and this is reflected in the increased number of intelligence reports received. Since 2007, the amount of intelligence received and inputted on to the food fraud database has risen from 49 reports in 2007 to 1,538 in 2013. However, this does not necessarily indicate an increase in the level of food fraud, but does demonstrate an increase in the reporting of suspected issues.

General Practitioners

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received of clinical commissioning groups setting thresholds on the number of referrals by its GP practices; what assessment he has made of the prevalence of such a practice and its effect on early diagnosis of cancers; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Jane Ellison: Timeliness of diagnosis and treatment is what patients expect and remains essential to providing high quality care. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning local secondary care services for the population they serve. All practice referrals and prescribing rates are monitored and compared. The data from this exercise generally is used to inform a conversation between the practice and CCG about the issues faced by the practice. It is not possible to say that high referral rates are necessarily good or bad, but NHS England have advised that it is not normal for any CCG to create a ‘quota’ system for general practitioner (GP) referrals and we have no evidence to suggest thresholds are in place on the number of patients GPs can refer. It is important that conversations are held to test out whether practices are referring according to local and national guidelines, that they are making effective use of resources, and that they are having appropriate access to diagnostics and in-house advice.
	NHS England, through its area teams, uses the CCG assurance framework to assess whether CCGs are meeting their statutory duty to deliver continuous overall improvement in the health outcomes of local populations. Integral to the assurance assessment is consideration of a range of timely indicators, quality metrics and other outcome measures to make an overall assessment of progress towards delivering improved outcomes.

Hereditary Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on whether the genetic transmission of illness from parent to child can be prevented by medication.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have had no discussions with the Royal Colleges on whether the genetic transmission of illness from parent to child can be prevented by medication.
	The Government supports good practice in informed choice for all patients or parents to aid prevention of serious illness or disease.

Maternity Services

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new payment framework for maternity care in England; and what steps he has taken to ensure that this process provides sufficient income to providers to deliver his Department's objectives;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure that the tariff setting process for maternity services is sufficient to fund safe staffing levels in maternity units in England.

Daniel Poulter: The maternity pathway payment system was first mandated for use in 2013-14, and represents a significant change in the way that maternity services are reimbursed. Previously maternity services were paid for on a fee for service basis. Under the new payment system, activity is bundled into three pathways-antenatal, delivery and postnatal-each of which is paid separately.
	From 2014-15, national tariffs will be set by Monitor, but flexibility will continue to be allowed by the Department to address financial risks associated with implementing the new system. Provision for local modification to the national price, for example, where a local service is needed to ensure safe care, but would otherwise be non-viable, will also continue. Monitor and NHS England have jointly established a review process and will monitor how the new system is working. Amendments will be considered to address any perverse effects and minimise administrative burdens.
	In 2010, a costing exercise was undertaken to inform the tariff setting decisions and to set price levels to fund sufficient staffing levels in maternity units. A formal review of the maternity tariff post implementation is planned to take place later this year and will help to inform the 2016-17 tariff.

NHS: Public Appointments

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 524W, on NHS: public appointments, where data showing the gender of people appointed the boards of NHS Foundation trusts is held.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally. Information on the constitution of individual NHS foundation trust boards is available in the annual report of each foundation trust.

Pancreatic Cancer

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that all patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are assigned a clinical nurse specialist;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that dieticians are considered to be compulsory members of pancreatic cancer multidisciplinary teams that review patients.

Jane Ellison: Since 1 April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for delivering improvements in all cancer services.
	NHS England's pancreatic cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services. This guidance sets out that patients should have access to a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and a dietician as part of their multidisciplinary team to support them through the care pathway.
	As set out in the service specification, all patients with upper gastrointestinal disease, such as pancreatic cancer, are at risk of dietary problems and should have access to full dietetic in-patient and out-patient services. Dieticians should be available to see patients during regular outpatient clinics and available for consultation on ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings.
	While the recruitment of staff is a local matter, NHS England would expect trusts to consider the recruitment of staff such as dieticians and CNSs in developing their policies to improve patient experience.

Prisoners: Solitary Confinement

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were kept in solitary confinement at (a) HMP Lincoln and (b) nationally in each month of each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: In instances where prisoners are removed from normal location they are not left in isolation for extended periods of time and are never, therefore, held in conditions of solitary confinement.
	Prisoners may, be held in segregation for reasons of good order and discipline or for their own protection. They may also be segregated to await adjudication or as a punishment of cellular confinement for offences against prison discipline. Prisoners are only segregated where it is proportionate to the risk posed by or to the prisoner in question and where there are no practical alternatives. Segregation is only in circumstances that are lawful, safe and decent.
	Figures for the number of prisoners held in segregation during the period specified are not recorded centrally and could be provided only by collating the relevant information from records held at (a) Lincoln prison and (b) all prisons. In either case this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Secure Colleges

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times he has discussed secure colleges with the (a) Secretary of State for Health and (b) Secretary of State for Education in the last 18 months.

Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), and I are in regular contact with our counterparts at the Department for Health and Department of Education. Our officials are also working together closely to develop our plans.

Visits Abroad

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, his Department made in each year since 2010; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice has reduced the overall cost of air travel by almost half since 2009, and our total spend on all travel has fallen by more than 40% in the same period-a saving of more than £9 million.
	Furthermore, this year, the Secretary of State for Justice toughened up the rules to ban first and business class travel for Ministers and officials in the department other than in exceptional circumstances where this is required to meet business need.
	Overseas travel makes up a small proportion of the Department's overall travel requirement. Flights and travel by Eurostar are booked through our contracted supplier, and whilst the MOJ records data on transactions, it does not hold details of the cost or destination of individual trips centrally. The cost of breaking down all travel in the ways requested would be disproportionate, as managers across the Department would have to create a breakdown of every trip taken, itemised by the different kinds of expenditure.

Cycling: Greater London

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport West of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 231W, on cycling: Greater London, how many (a) men and (b) women cyclists' in London suffered (i) fatal and (ii) serious injuries in each of the last 10 years.

Robert Goodwill: The numbers of reported (a) fatal and (b) seriously injured male and female cyclist casualties in Greater London for each of the last 10 years are shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Reported fatal and seriously injured cyclists by gender, Greater London 2003-2012 
			 Number of casualties 
			  Fatal Serious injuries 
			  (1)Male (2)Female Total (1)Male (2)Female Total 
			 2003 12 7 19 334 85 419 
			 2004 6 2 8 269 63 332 
			 2005 18 3 21 283 68 351 
			 2006 11 8 19 282 91 373 
			 2007 11 4 15 353 93 446 
			 2008 11 4 15 338 92 430 
			 2009 3 10 13 337 83 420 
		
	
	
		
			 2010 6 4 10 359 99 458 
			 2011 10 6 16 437 118 555 
			 2012 13 1 14 527 132 659 
		
	
	Data for 2013 will be available in June 2014.